June Medical Newsletter
As students applying to medical school finish up submitting their primary applications to AMCAS and AACOMAS in June, it’s time to look into the PREview exam. PREview is a professional readiness exam created by the Association of American Medical Colleges.
While some schools may require PREview, other schools may favor the original professional readiness exam, Casper, developed by a third-party company. Both exams seek to test the same fundamental principles, including ethics and social skills, however the PREview exam is in a multiple-choice format while the Casper is an open-response format with both typed and video response answers.
Not all schools require situational judgment tests, however each year more schools rely on them to recruit students mentally and emotionally prepared to become doctors. Medical schools aren’t the only ones requiring them either; BS/MD, dental, physician assistant, and veterinary schools also look at these scores.
Although the test makers would like you to believe you can’t study for these exams, that’s not true. Just like standardized exams including the SAT and ACT, there are tried and true strategies that can help students get into the minds of the test makers and ace their exams. Put your best foot forward by taking the PREview practice test and reading the rationale for the answers at the end to identify the recurring patterns in the answers. Keep reading to learn how Moon Prep helps their students prepare for Casper.
Other Supplemental Exams
The parent company that hosts Casper, Acuity Insights, also offers the Duet assessments. Duet is meant to compare an applicant’s value in a program to what a program has to offer. As the assessment is based on personal preferences, there are no right or wrong answers. While Duet is oftentimes not required but optional, Moon Prep students are always encouraged to complete optional items to show their work ethic and initiative.
Think Strategically
Summer is a great time to engage in activities and passion projects that may otherwise be too time consuming during the regular school year. Learn about volunteering, research, shadowing and more ways to build a competitive BS/MD resume while using the summer time to your advantage.
New in the 2024 AMCAS Application
Allopathic medical school students applying through AMCAS should be aware of the changes to the primary application this cycle:
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An optional field has been added to indicate an upcoming PREview test date
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“Social Justice/Advocacy” has been added as a category on the Work/Activities section
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The essay titled “Disadvantaged Status” has been replaced with a prompt for “Other Impactful Experiences”
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Pronoun label options for gender identity have been updated
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“Conduct” and “Academic” categories have been added to the drop-down for the Institutional Action question
Get Ahead
Time is your most valuable resource in the application cycle. Even the best of applicants may be denied admission if they wait too late to submit their primary or secondary applications. Although June is too early to receive any requests for secondary essays, it is the perfect time to begin pre-writing your responses. Secondary applications are best submitted one to two weeks after receiving them. Although schools may list a deadline as late as November, most secondary applications should be submitted by August at the latest to have a shot at securing an interview invitation. Because most medical schools have a rolling admissions process, the further into the season there are simply less spots to offer, creating higher competition.
Start Early
Minimize your competition by starting early. To submit high quality work when barraged by schools requesting five to eight additional essays, prepare a rough draft of frequently asked prompts ready to be personalized for each school.
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